Amanda O’Neil, who’s a girl, and a wrestling fan, writes:
Dear Mr. Perkins,
I read your article on wrestlezone and, I have to say, I was moved nearly to tears as I read it. You really did cut to the heart of the issue – wrestling hurts. I’ve been a fan of wrestling since I was 7 years old (I’m twenty now, so you can see how long it’s been). I have seen the ups and downs of certain wrestlers and I have grown, as a fan, enough to look at wrestlers beyond their ring personas – as real people. Watching great wrestlers deteriorate in the ring because of drug or alcohol abuse and injuries is, at the least, disheartening to fans, friends and family. On a personal note, my brother is a recovering addict and I have seen and felt the toll it takes on people. He’s only 23 so he has a lot more time to keep clean and keep the fight against relapsing than Jeff Hardy does. Jeff is in his early thirties and still has a chance to make it sober and keep clean, but it’s not going to be easy. I’m not Jeff’s biggest fan, so I’m not sure of his history, but I know that he’s tried, unsuccessfully to get sober before, and it hasn’t stuck. It’s obvious that he didn’t want to be clean in the past, and I’m not sure that he wants to be sober now either, but, as you said, I’m just speculating. I don’t, however, think he had intent to sell the drugs they found in his house. In my experience, addicts, when they get the chance to (leaving the WWE), start to hoard up on their drug of choice just because they have the option to. Drugs, alcohol, women, and video games – it’s all attainable as soon as people stop watching.
I read your article on wrestlezone and, I have to say, I was moved nearly to tears as I read it. You really did cut to the heart of the issue – wrestling hurts. I’ve been a fan of wrestling since I was 7 years old (I’m twenty now, so you can see how long it’s been). I have seen the ups and downs of certain wrestlers and I have grown, as a fan, enough to look at wrestlers beyond their ring personas – as real people. Watching great wrestlers deteriorate in the ring because of drug or alcohol abuse and injuries is, at the least, disheartening to fans, friends and family. On a personal note, my brother is a recovering addict and I have seen and felt the toll it takes on people. He’s only 23 so he has a lot more time to keep clean and keep the fight against relapsing than Jeff Hardy does. Jeff is in his early thirties and still has a chance to make it sober and keep clean, but it’s not going to be easy. I’m not Jeff’s biggest fan, so I’m not sure of his history, but I know that he’s tried, unsuccessfully to get sober before, and it hasn’t stuck. It’s obvious that he didn’t want to be clean in the past, and I’m not sure that he wants to be sober now either, but, as you said, I’m just speculating. I don’t, however, think he had intent to sell the drugs they found in his house. In my experience, addicts, when they get the chance to (leaving the WWE), start to hoard up on their drug of choice just because they have the option to. Drugs, alcohol, women, and video games – it’s all attainable as soon as people stop watching.
Anyway, this email is turning into an essay so I’ll wrap up by saying: Jeff, most of all, is a man. At his core, he is a man, not a superhero or a famous wrestler. He is a man struggling with the decisions he’s made in life and the bad things that have happened to him along the way. He desperately needs to kick his habits and get rid of his demons.. But he is NOT going to do that with people wanting him back in the ring or on television.. And he’s not going to get sober, unless he can put 200% into his rehabilitation.. He has to do this alone, and people need to understand that.
Thanks for taking time to read this!
Amanda
Amanda,
Thanks for reading! But don’t ever call me Mr. Perkins again. Ew. While I’m glad that I’m such a good writer that I move you to tears, I wish I didn’t have to about this particular topic. But it is encouraging that most of the feedback I’ve gotten pretty much agrees that Jeff Hardy the man, needs to get better before Jeff Hardy the wrestler can resume his career.
So there ya go. Of the amount of feedback I’ve received, (and believe me, these letters barely scratched the surface- definitely the most emails I’ve received yet!) I think it’s safe to assume that most of us know the reality of this situation. Which is very good for Jeff Hardy. Like I said in my article, Jeff, more than anything, needs our thoughts and prayers. Hopefully he’s got them. On a sidenote, I googled Jeff Hardy and my article was the fourth site to come up for a few days, which was really exciting! J Until next time, I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’!
